Philip Freneau
Philip Morin Freneau (January 2, 1752 - December 18, 1832) was an American poet, essayist, and newspaper editor, sometimes called the "Poet of the American Revolution".Philip Morin Freneau, Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 1994-2012, Web, Answers.com, Sep. 15, 2012. Life Overview Freneau was born in New York. He produced 2 volumes of verse, the most considerable contribution to poetry made up to that date in America. He fought in the Revolutionary War, was taken prisoner, and confined in a British prison-ship, the arrangements of which he bitterly satirised in "The British Prison Ship" (1781). He also wrote vigorous prose, of which Advice to Authors is an example. Amid much commonplace and doggerel, Freneau produced a small amount of genuine poetry in his short pieces, such as "The Indian Burying Ground" and "The Wild Honeysuckle."John William Cousin, "Freneau, Philip," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 147. Web, Jan. 13, 2018. Youth and education Freneau was born in New York City, the oldest of the 5 children of Huguenot wine merchant Pierre Fresneau and his Scottish wife. Philip was raised in Monmouth County, New Jersey where he studied under William Tennent, Jr.. His father died in 1767, and he entered the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, as a sophomore in 1768 to study for the ministry. Freneau's close friend at Princeton was James Madison, a relationship that would later contribute to his establishment as the editor of the National Gazette. He graduated in 1771, having written the poetical History of the Prophet Jonah, and, with Hugh Henry Brackenridge, the prose satire Father Bombo's Pilgrimage to Mecca. Career Following his graduation from Princeton, Freneau tried his hand at teaching, but quickly gave it up. He also pursued a further study of theology, but gave this up as well after about two years. As the Revolutionary War approached in 1775, Freneau wrote a number of anti-British pieces. However, by 1776, Freneau left America for the West Indies, where he would spend time writing about the beauty of nature. In 1778, Freneau returned to America, and rejoined the patriotic cause. Freneau eventually became a crew member on a revolutionary privateer, and was captured in this capacity. He was held on a British prison ship for about six weeks. This unpleasant experience (in which he almost died), detailed in his work, "The British Prison Ship" would precipitate many more patriotic and anti-British writings throughout the revolution and after. For this, he was named "The Poet of the American Revolution". In 1790 Freneau married, and became an assistant editor of the New York Daily Advertiser. Soon after, Madison and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson worked to get Freneau to move to Philadelphia in order to edit a partisan newspaper that would counter the Federalist newspaper The Gazette of the United States. Jefferson was criticized for hiring Freneau as a translator in the State Department, even though he spoke no foreign languages except French, in which Jefferson was already fluent. Freneau accepted this undemanding position, which left free time to head the Democratic-Republican newspaper Jefferson and Madison envisioned. This partisan newspaper, the'' National Gazette'', provided a vehicle for Jefferson, Madison, and others to promote criticism of the rival Federalists. The Gazette took particular aim at the policies promoted by Alexander Hamilton, and like other papers of the day, would not hesitate to shade into personal attacks, including President George Washington during his second term. Owing to the paper's frequent attacks on his administration and himself, Washington took a particular dislike to Freneau. Freneau later retired to a more rural life and wrote a mix of political and nature works. Freneau is buried in the Philip Morin Freneau Cemetery on Poet's Drive in Matawan, New Jersey. His wife and mother are also buried here. He died at 80 years old, frozen to death when trying to get back home. Writing The non-political works of Freneau are a combination of neoclassicism and romanticism. His poem "The House of Night" makes its mark as one of the first romantic poems written and published in America. The gothic elements and dark imagery are later seen in poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, who is well known for his gothic works of literature. Freneau's nature poem, "The Wild Honey Suckle" (1786), is considered an early seed to the later Transcendentalist movement taken up by William Cullen Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau. Romantic primitivism is also anticipated by his poems "The Indian Burying Ground," and "Noble Savage." Although he is not as well known as Ralph Waldo Emerson or James Fenimore Cooper, Freneau introduced many of the themes and images in his literature that later authors are famous for. Recognition The Matawan Post Office on Main Street has a sculpture of Freneau on the wall. It features him with black slaves as he was an abolitionist later in life. It is believed to have been created during the Depression by a WPA artist. There is a Freneau fire company on Main Street/Route 79. Until a name change in mid 2000's, there was a restaurant called the Poet's Inn, where Freneau was supposed to have had many a rum. Publications Poetry *''The American Village: A poem. New York: Inslee & Carr, 1772. **(with introduction by Henry Lyman Koopman). Providence, RI: Standard Printing, 1906; New York: Burt Franklin, 1968. * ''Poems: Written chiefly during the late war. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, 1786; Delmar, NY: Scholars Facsimiles & Reprints, 1976. * Poems Written Between the Years 1768 and 1794, Monmouth, NJ: privately printed, 1795; Delmar, NY: Scholars Facsimiles & Reprints, 1975. *''Poems: Written and published during the American Revolutionary War ... translations from the ancients, and other pieces not heretofore in print''. (2 volumes), Philadelphia: Lydia R. Bailey, 1806. Volume I, Volume II. * A Collection of Poems: On American affairs, and a variety of other subjects chiefly moral and political '' (2 volumes), New York: David Longworth, 1815. ''Volume I, Volume II. **(with introduction by Lewis Leary). Delmar, NY: Scholars Facsimiles & Reprints, 1976. *''Poems on Various Subjects, But chiefly illustrative of the events and actors in the American War of Independence. London: John Russell Smith, 1861. *Poems Relating to the American Revolution'' (edited by Evert A. Duyckinck). New York: W.J. Widdleton / Crowell, 1865. * Poems of Philip Freneau, poet of the American Revolution (edited by Fred Lewis Pattee). (3 volumes), Princeton, NJ: University Library.. Volume I, 1902; Volume II, 1903; Volume III, ''1907. **''Poems of Philip Freneau. (3 volumes), New York: Russell & Russell, 1963. * Poems ''(edited by Harry Hayden Clark). New York: Harcourt Brace, 1919; Hafner Publishing. Co., 1960. * ''Last Poems, (edited by Louis Leary). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1945. * Final Poems (edited by Judith R. Hiltmer). Delmar, NY: Scholars Facsimiles & Reprints, 1979. *''The Newspaper Verse'' (edited by Judith R. Hiltmer). Troy, NY: Whitston Publishing, 1986. Non-fiction *''Some Account of the Capture of the Ship "Aurora". New York: M.F. Mansfield & A. Wessels, 1899. *''Prose ''(edited by Philip M. Marsh). Nwe Brunswick, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1955. Collected editions *''Miscellaneous Works: Containing his essays, and additional poems. Philadelphia: Francis Bailey, 1788. *''Poems (1786) and Miscellaneous Works (1788). Delmar, NY: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1975. *''Very Selected Poetry and Prose: Printed for the third New Jersey Literary Heritage Conference. Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1982. Letters *''Letters on Various Interesting and Important Subjects. Philadelphia: privately printed, 1799'' **(introduction by Harry Hayden Clark). New York: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1943. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Philip Freneau, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 14, 2013. See also *List of U.S. poets References * Mary Weatherspoon Bowden. Philip Freneau (Twayne's United States authors series ; TUSAS 260) (1976) * Jane Donahue Eberwein, ed. Early American Poetry: Selections from Bradstreet, Taylor, Dwight, Freneau and Bryant (1978) * Elliott, Emory. Revolutionary Writers: Literature and Authority in the New Republic, 1725-1810. Oxford U. Press, 1982. 324 pp. * Lewis Gaston Leary. That rascal Freneau: A study in literary failure (1971) * Nickson, Richard. Philip Freneau: Poet of the Revolution. '' * Trenton: New Jersey Hist. Comm., 1981. 36 pp. * Pasley, Jeffrey L. "The Two National Gazettes: Newspapers and the Embodiment of American Political Parties." ''Early American Literature 2000 35(1): 51-86. ISSN 0012-8163 * Vitzthum, Richard C. Land and Sea: The Lyric Poetry of Philip Freneau U. of Minnesota Press, 1978. 197 pp. * Anthology of American Literature Ninth Edition Vol. 1, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007 * Harper's Encyclopædia of United States History, Harper & Brothers, 1905. Notes External links ;Poems *"A Political Litany" at the Academy of American Poets *Philip Freneau 1752-1832 at the Poetry Foundation *"Stanzas occasion'd by the Ruins of a Country Inn, unroofed and blown down in a Storm" *"The Deserted Farm-House" *Philip Freneau (1752-1832) profile & 2 poems at English Poetry, 1579-1830 *Selected Poetry of Philip Morin Freneau (1752-1832) (4 poems) at Representative Poetry Online *Philip Freneau at PoemHunter (7 poems) *Freneau's Poems at Emory. *Last Poems ;Audio /video *Philip Freneau at YouTube ;Books *Philip Freneau at Amazon.com ;About *Philip Freneau at NNDB *Philip Freneau 1752-1832 at Colonial America, 1607-1783, University of North Carolina..\\ *Philip Freneau at Perspectives on American Literature *Freneau, Philip (Morin), Princeton biography *Philip Freneau at Virtual American Biographies Category:1752 births Category:1832 deaths Category:American poets Category:James Madison Category:American newspaper editors Category:18th-century poets Category:19th-century poets Category:Poets Category:English-language poets